Treating the medical needs of handicapped or injured patients requires somewhat different equipment from that used for conventional patients. For example, if a patient is wheelchair bound, the patient must be lifted onto an examination table from the wheelchair. Since the seat level of the wheelchair is generally about nineteen inches above the ground, and the average examination table can only be lowered to about 26 inches, the patient must be lifted out of the wheelchair onto the examination table. This lifting requires several persons, depending upon the weight and mobility of the wheelchair bound patient.
In addition to requiring means to move from wheelchair to examination table, many handicapped or injured patients have other special needs. For example, where the patient has one leg longer than the other, either due to congenital problems or to amputation, both legs do not conform to the configuration for conventional stirrups. Particularly in the case of single amputees, it is difficult to situate both legs in stirrups for conventional gynecological examinations.
Even when both legs are approximately the same length, some patients experience muscle spasms, which may be aggravated when the patient's feet are placed into stirrups. It is thus important to provide means to retain the patient's legs in place comfortably during the time that the patient is on the examination table. Of particular concern is when dealing with burn patients, whose skin is particularly sensitive to any type of pressure, yet whose muscles may be subject to spasms when immobilized.
Occasionally the patient's muscular spasms are not confined to the legs, so that the entire body must be restrained while the patient is on the table. Although handrails on either side of the table can be used to maintain the patient in position on the table, handrails are often not sufficient to keep the patient in a stable position during a medical examination or procedure.
Unfortunately, the needs of handicapped and injured patients have traditionally been ignored, and, to date no medical examination tables or obstetrical tables have been designed to accommodate patients with a variety of handicaps. None is capable of being adjusted to suit the particular needs of each patient. Although examination tables having a variety of features are presently available, none of these tables has been designed specifically to aid a physician in examining a handicapped or injured patient and to enable the patient to undergo medical examinations or treatment with some degree of comfort.
A number of prior workers have provided examination or obstetrical tables with a variety of features. For example, Murphy, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,607,168, discloses an obstetric table having adjustable shoulder straps and limb holding devices which support the patient's leg from the heel to the knee. However, there is no recognition that the patient's legs may not be the same length.
Broesel, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,757,058, discloses a delivery crutch for obstetrical tables for supporting the mother's legs during delivery. Although this crutch can be adjusted for a variety of leg sizes, there is no provision for adjusting the crutch to accommodate legs that may be incapable of being moved into standard positions for delivery.
Comper, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,067,891, discloses leg supporting means for obstetrical beds which are adjustable to accommodate legs of any size. However, there is no provision for accommodating legs which may not be capable of angular movement in the direction needed for obstetrical procedures.
Wiruth, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,057,992, discloses a leg support and restraining device which firmly secures the entire leg from just above the knee to the foot. The device can be locked against rotation and longitudinal movement. Straps are provided for securely strapping the patient's legs, ankles and feet to the supports.
Allen, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,687, discloses a stirrup for supporting a patient's limb in a desired attitude. The stirrup includes a shell lined with a soft material. The shell can be suspended from a support by adjustable straps, and the straps can be adjusted to control the positioning of the limb. Two boot-like attachments of the stirrup can be used to support a patient's legs for gynecological procedures. Unfortunately, in this case the shell is suspended from the support, so that there is insufficient support for a limb that may be spastic or unable to remain in one spot for an extended period of time.
A heel supporting boot or bed patients is shown in Schleicher et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,738.
VELCRO.RTM. hook and loop type filamentary engaging fasteners are used to immobilize patients on tables used for X-ray procedures. Cabansag, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,154, discloses an immobilizer for use in X-ray and surgical procedures which includes a back which can be rigid or bent in a variety of positions. The immobilizer has a plurality of flexible straps for securing different sections of a patient's body against movement. Means are provided for restraining knees and elbows as well as the head.
Nishiyama et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,666, disclose a device for fastening a patient to a bed plate, along with engageable support bands.
Unfortunately, to date no one has recognized the special needs of patients with a variety of handicaps or restrictions from injuries, and consequently there has been no provision for examination tables which enable a handicapped person to be examined with a minimum of distress to the patient as well as the requirement for a minimum number of personnel to aid the patient in gaining access to the table.